NEW ORLEANS, March 31: Jayson Tatum scored 23 points and Boston rebounded from back-to-back losses to Atlanta, pulling away in the third quarter for a 104-92 win over New Orleans.
Kristaps Porzingis added 19 points and 10 rebounds and Jaylen Brown scored 17 as the Celtics, who at 58-16 have the NBA’s best record, avoided what would have been their first three-game skid of the year.
Derrick White had 15 points and Jrue Holiday had 13 points, seven assists and eight rebounds.Zion Williamson scored 25 for New Orleans and CJ McCollum added 24.Ahead 59-57 at halftime, Boston took control in the third quarter, limiting New Orleans to 11 points. The Celtics went ahead 79-68 on Tatum’s 3-pointer with 4:12 left in the quarter and led by double digits the rest of the way, going up by 22 in the fourth quarter.Wendell Carter Jr. had 15 points and 13 rebounds, Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony added 15 points each and Orlando broke a three-game losing streak with a rout of Memphis.
A day after committing two late turnovers and blaming himself for a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Paolo Banchero sat out the fourth quarter and finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Jordan Goodwin led the Grizzlies with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Brandon Clarke added 13 points in 20 minutes in his second game back from an Achilles injury.
The win moved the Magic a game and a half behind New York in the race for the fourth Eastern Conference playoff spot. With eight games left in the regular season, the Magic are in fifth place, 1 1/2 up on Indiana and 2 1/2 up on Miami. Their 43 wins are the most for the franchise since 2010-11.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had six dunks while scoring 36 points and Milwaukee overcame Bogdan Bogdanovic’s 38 points to beat Atlanta, ending the Hawks’ four-game winning streak. (AP)
